Pressure sensitive adhesives are tacky materials that adhere to a variety of surfaces upon application of finger or hand pressure. They typically can be removed from smooth surfaces without leaving a residue.
The most common types of pressure sensitive adhesives are based upon acrylic polymers and copolymers. The acrylic polymers and copolymers, however, are not well-suited for applications involving hard or soft biological tissues because they generally are not sufficiently biodegradable and biocompatible for in vivo use. Examples of pressure sensitive adhesives that have been proposed for in vivo use include those based upon biodegradable polyesters such as polyhydroxyalkanoates and polyesters derived from polylactic acid.